Americans United - Northwest Pennsylvaniahttps://www.au.org/chapters/northwest-pennsylvania
enZubik & Persico & Geneva College v. Sebeliushttps://www.au.org/our-work/legal/lawsuits/zubik-persico-geneva-college-v-sebelius
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><div>As part of the Affordable Care Act's implementing regulations, group health plans are required to include coverage for various forms of preventative care, including all FDA-approved methods of contraception. Houses of worship are exempt from these requirements, and the Department of Health and Human Services later created a broader accommodation for certain nonprofit organizations. In particular, religious non-profit organizations may opt out of providing contraceptive coverage by certifying their religious objection; upon receiving this certification, the organization’s insurance company—or in the case of self-insured plans, its third-party administrator—steps in to provide the coverage.</div><div> </div><div>Despite the accommodation, two dioceses, two bishops, several religious non-profits, and a religiously affiliated college (all based in Pennsylvania) brought three separate lawsuits in federal court challenging the accommodation. The trial courts ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. The Government appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the Third Circuit has decided to hear all three cases together.</div><div> </div><div>In June 2014, we filed <a href="/files/legal_docs/AU%20Amicus%20Brief.pdf">an amicus brief in support of the contraception regulations</a>. </div><div> </div><div>In February 2015, the Third Circuit <a href="/files/legal_docs/3rd%20Cir%20Opinion.pdf">upheld the accomodation</a>, concluding that it placed no substantial burden on plaintiffs' religious exercise.</div><div> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-federal-court field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Federal Court:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/federal-courts/us-court-appeals-third-circuit">U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/federal-courts/us-district-court-western-district-pennsylvania">U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania</a></div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/workplace-discrimination-exemptions-religious-practice">In the Workplace: Discrimination, Exemptions &amp; Religious Practice</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-free-exercise-issues-including-rfras-zoning-etc">Other Free Exercise Issues (including RFRAs, zoning, etc.)</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-aus-role field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">AU&#039;s Role:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/au-role/amicus">Amicus</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-involvement-begin field-type-date field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">AU&#039;s Involvement Began:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">June 2014</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-case-status field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Status:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/court-case-status/ongoing">Ongoing</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-chapter field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Chapters:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/chapters/northwest-pennsylvania">Northwest Pennsylvania</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/chapters/delaware-valley">Delaware Valley</a></div></div></div><span class="field field-name-field-address field-type-addressfield field-label-above" ><span class="field-label">Address:&nbsp;</span><span class="field addressfield field-item" ><span class="addressfield-citystate">PA</span></span></span>Sun, 26 Oct 2014 23:48:52 +0000Gregory Lipper10630 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/our-work/legal/lawsuits/zubik-persico-geneva-college-v-sebelius#commentsNorthwest PA Chapter event with Dr. Barbara Forrest - September 21https://www.au.org/get-involved/events/northwest-pa-chapter-event-with-dr-barbara-forrest-september-21
<span class="field"><span class="date-display-single">September 21, 2013 at 7:00 pm</span></span><span class="field field-name-field-address field-type-addressfield field-label-inline clearfix" ><span class="field-label">Address:&nbsp;</span><span class="field addressfield field-item" >160 E. Front St., Erie, PA, 16507</span></span><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Dr. Barbara Forrest will speak Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Hirt Auditorium at the Erie Bayfront Library on "Why Academic Freedom Is a Fraud: The Threat to Science Education." This free, public meeting is sponsored by the Northwest PA Chapter of Americans United.<br /><br />Dr. Forrest was an expert witness in the 2005 federal court case deciding that Intelligent Design/Creationism cannot be taught in Pennsylvania public school science classes. The AU chapter's annual meeting will follow her talk.</p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-chapter field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Host chapter:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/chapters/northwest-pennsylvania">Northwest Pennsylvania</a></div></div></div>Wed, 18 Sep 2013 18:21:50 +0000David Morris8971 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/get-involved/events/northwest-pa-chapter-event-with-dr-barbara-forrest-september-21#commentsNorthwest Pennsylvania Chapter hosts Katherine Stewart - May 30https://www.au.org/get-involved/events/northwest-pennsylvania-chapter-hosts-katherine-stewart-may-30
<span class="field"><span class="date-display-single">May 30, 2012 at 7:00 pm</span></span><span class="field field-name-field-address field-type-addressfield field-label-inline clearfix" ><span class="field-label">Address:&nbsp;</span><span class="field addressfield field-item" >7180 Perry Highway, Erie, PA</span></span><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Katherine Stewart, author of The Good News Club; The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children, will speak at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 7180 Perry Highway (Rt. 97) in Erie. A reception will be held immediately after her talk.<br /> <br />Stewart, an investigative reporter, first became aware of the Good News Club in January of 2009 when the elementary school attended by her children added what it called a “Bible study” class to its after-school program. Her curiosity turned to concern as she discovered the unstated purpose of the club, sponsored by the Child Evangelism Fellowship, which is to evangelize young children and convey the impression that their school favors a particular form of the Christian religion.<br /> <br />She soon learned that the program was part of a nationwide initiative to “take back” America’s public schools and instill in them a fundamentalist Christian agenda. Stewart’s two-year investigation took her across the country to training sessions for Good News Club leaders, who are taught how to evangelize children as young as five years old; to new churches “planted” in public schools on Sundays; and to a Texas State School Board meeting, where the rewriting of textbooks from a fundamentalist Christian perspective seemed to be more important than choosing books that would help students to someday function as educated adults. Everywhere, she experienced what she considered stealth and deception in getting the fundamentalist viewpoint into public schools.<br /> <br />There are currently Good News Clubs operating in more than 3,500 schools across the country. Pennsylvania has Child Evangelism Fellowship chapters in a dozen or more counties, and Erie recently saw a new church “planted” in the Harding Elementary School here.<br /> <br />Stewart has written for The New York Times, Reuters, The Guardian, and AlterNet. Her appearance in Erie is sponsored by the Northwest Pa. chapter of Americans United. The event is free and open to the public. For additional information, call Jim Wise at (814) 796-3115</p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-chapter field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Host chapter:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/chapters/northwest-pennsylvania">Northwest Pennsylvania</a></div></div></div>Wed, 23 May 2012 13:32:42 +0000David Morris7175 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/get-involved/events/northwest-pennsylvania-chapter-hosts-katherine-stewart-may-30#comments